


Right Where I Belong

by NeonDomino



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 14:00:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2231685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonDomino/pseuds/NeonDomino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus has a new dog that he rescued after it was hit by a car. A new companion for a lone Werewolf. James is going mad trying to find proof that Sirius is still alive, because he can't bear the alternative. Who knew that good little Padfoot was known Werewolf hater, Sirius Black? Certainly not the amnesiac Animagus. - SB/RL and JP/LE</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

James and Sirius stood under the invisibility cloak, at the edge of the alley leading to the Apparition point.

"Dumbledore's orders were clear," James said. "Find where Lucius Malfoy is meeting Greyback, and report back. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"And risk getting bitten by one of those monsters," scoffed Sirius. "I wouldn't want to taint myself by even breathing the same air as them."

James frowned at his friend.

"Yes, I know," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Before you start on about how Werewolves are harmless and they aren't all bad, and all that bullshit that you come out with... just don't. I am very well aware that you, Mum and Dad are Werewolf sympathisers, but tell me this, James, can you bring me even one werewolf that isn't on you-know-who's side?"

James shook his head. "The others are in hiding-"

"There are none!" Sirius declared, interrupting James. "They are dark, James. Just dark creatures that will look to kill us the moment they have the chance. Creatures like Greyback are sick twisted monsters."

James shook his head. They had this discussion many times, and he knew he wouldn't be the one to change Sirius' mind.

Sirius thought back to his encounters with Greyback, and let out a shudder, as his hand went to a small scar on his arm.

They shifted around under the cloak, feeling impatient. Dumbledore had said that Malfoy would arrive half an hour before, but he was nowhere to be seen. They knew they couldn't have missed him, having arrived half an hour early, just in case.

Finally they heard a pop, and caught sight of the tell-tale blonde hair of Lucius Malfoy, who cast a detection charm. Satisfied that there wasn't anyone in the alley with him, he started walking out the other direction. The two men followed slowly behind, and as they reached the other end of the alley, Sirius shifted into his dog form.

Lucius was moving quick, and they couldn't keep up if they were both trying to stay under the cloak. James rushed behind, keeping his eye on Sirius slinking through the shadows.

**...oOo...**

Sirius quickly moved between the buildings, trying to keep up with the blonde haired man. He suspected that they had lost James, as they passed through a crowd, as his hearing couldn't pick up James footsteps next to him. He knew James would have run to him to keep up if he could, so suspected James had lost sight of them, and possibly gone in another direction.

After all, James couldn't have bumped into people, because that would have drew attention to him, and that was the last thing they needed. They needed to remain undetected.

They quickly arrived on the main road, and Sirius dropped back into an alley between two shops, watching Malfoy, who was glancing around. Malfoy stepped towards the road, intending to cross, and Sirius moved forward slightly. He watched Malfoy suddenly rush across the road, and Sirius ran after him, knowing if he didn't, he's lose Lucius.

James looked around the area for a few minutes, but couldn't find sign of Sirius or Malfoy. After a few minutes debate, he chose to return to the Apparition Point, and pulled the cloak over himself, seating himself on the ground against a wall. James cursed his own Animagus form. As much as he loved being a Stag, all majestic and royal, he couldn't get away with running through town as one, sometimes Sirius had it a lot easier, being a dog.

Being a stag was brilliant, but so impractical for Order Work. Unless the Order asked him to traipse around the forest, his form was of little use.

He sat on the ground, waiting for an hour before he started feeling overly concerned about Sirius' whereabouts. He should have found the place and returned already. He walked the area between the Apparition Point, and where he lost Sirius, and back again, with no sign of his friend in human or dog form.

James apparated back to Headquarters. He rushed inside, looking for anyone who could help. He found his parents, the Longbottoms and Peter. He quickly informed them all that Sirius was missing, and told them which Apparition Point they needed to go to, before rushing outside, past the wards, and apparating himself.

Minutes later, there were pops, and his parents, the Longbottoms and a few other order members appeared. Peter had stayed behind in case Sirius returned. James led the group to the last place he saw Sirius and pointed out the direction he was heading. The order split up to do a search, leaving a frantic James pacing near the Apparition Point, where his parents had ordered him to stay, in case Sirius returned.

**...oOo...**

Remus Lupin had just left the library, where he worked, and was on his way home. It was a nice evening and he was walking slowly, debating with himself whether to stop and pick up something for dinner, or wait until he got home to order in. He moved out of the way of the people walking towards him, so he could pull out his phone. As he quickly wrote a text to ask his friend Lily, if she wanted him to get anything, he saw a blonde man crossing, and almost bumping into him. He didn't pay him much attention, just stepping aside so the man could pass without bumping him, and he looked back at his phone, his eyes briefly glancing over something on the other side of the road.

He looked up, and saw it was a dog - a large black grim of a dog had run into the traffic, and he was completely frozen, unable to move in fear of being hit, but Remus knew the dog would get hit if it stayed still.

He felt as though he was watching the scene in slow motion, as he felt the wand hidden in his sleeve. He threw his arm down, allowing the wand to slide halfway out, hidden by his hand, in case a muggle looked over. He quickly brought his hand back up and discreetly pointed it in the direction of the cars.

He managed to make the first car skid, the noise startling the dog as the car skidded in his direction. The dog rushed forward, and Remus managed to freeze the second, so it stopped immediately. The dog kept running, it was running towards him, aiming for the pavement, and Remus tried to hit the third car with a spell, but someone bumped into him and the spell missed. Remus watched in horror as the car swerved, and still managed to hit the dog, although it wasn't as bad as a straight on collision would have been.

Remus heard a yelp and a thud as the large black dog went flying through the air. He ran over, all thoughts of food forgotten, and saw that the dog was covered in blood, and whimpering. He gently brought his hand towards the dog, hoping it wouldn't snap, but the poor animal, with its deep silver eyes - strange for a dog, looked at him in such confusion and pain.

He asked himself what was the worst that the dog could do? Possibly bite him, but he could heal himself at home... plus, what's a dog bite compared to the bite mark he had to live with since he was a child? He wouldn't blame the dog if it snapped, the poor thing must be so scared, and in so much pain. He slowly offered his hand to the dog, which barely even registered him, and allowed him to pet it. Once his hand was on the dog, he slowly moved it, reaching the dogs neck, to check for a collar, but found none.

The drivers of the two cars were starting to get out, and Remus quickly cast a few charms, which caused the dog to freeze, so it wouldn't move about and make it's wounds worse, a spell to stem the bleeding, and a lightweight charm, so he could carry the dog home. He slid the wand back up his sleeve, as one man approached him.

"That crazy fucking dog, ran straight in front of me," the man shouted, and Remus looked up at him, without saying a word.

"You should keep control over your mutt."

"He's not mine," Remus said, watching the dog close it's eyes, and wondering if Lily would let him have the dog in his flat for a few days. She was a good friend, but she was also his landlord and they had never discussed pets before. He brought his hand up to the dogs head, stroking it softly.

The man paused. "It doesn't look so good," he said, worriedly. "Should I call the RSPCA or Dog's Trust?"

Remus shook his head. "I know someone who works with animals, she'll be able to heal him," he lied. He planned on them using magic to heal the dog, it wouldn't be the first time magic has been used to heal an animal. His answer seemed to satisfy the man.

The man nodded and the people turned to get back in their cars. Remus gently slid his arms under the dog and lifting it carefully, moving to the pavement before starting the walk home, faster than before, so he could help the dog.

It took only ten minutes, and his arms ached. He had cast a spell on the dog to make him lighter, but it was a hastily cast spell, and was already wearing off, plus how he had to hold his arms up, hurt.

He kicked at the door of the converted house, being unable to knock, and Lily came out of her ground floor flat. She looked through the charmed glass, and let out a gasp at the sight of Remus with blood on him, holding an unconscious dog, also covered in blood.

"Can you get my flat open?" He asked, breathless, and Lily nodded. She bolted the main door after them, and rushed up the stairs to open up the door to his flat.

She quickly pushed the coffee table to the side, and threw a cushion on the floor, enlarging it with her wand, and Remus set the dog down.

"He got hit by a car, one swerved, I stopped the second one, but I got knocked when shooting for the third, so I missed it, plus there were muggles around I was trying to be discreet," he said.

"Poor thing," Lily said, stroking the unconscious dogs head.

"Lets get him fixed up," Remus said, and Lily started an examination with her wand, as Remus started carefully cleaning up the big gash down the dogs side, after casting another spell to keep the dog asleep until they were finished.

**...oOo...**

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, were a pair of amber ones, looking down at him in concern.

He struggled to think, but realised quickly that he didn't know this man. After sniffing the man carefully, he realised the man smelt nice. He smelt like chocolate, parchment and ink. But there was another smell, one that he found he didn't like as much. The smell of animal, an animal that made him wary.

He let out a slight growl, but a hand reached out for the dog to sniff. He watched the mans hand, ready to scare the man away, should this person try to hurt him, and the mans hand reached his fur, and started softly stroking his back.

He realised after a moment the man wasn't trying to hurt him, and looked back up into those amber eyes. He let out a whine, trying to tell this person that he was confused. Why did he smell like the dangerous animal, and where was this animal? After a minute of being stroked, he felt calmer. The man looked kind, and he slowly started to remembering what had happened. Getting hit by the car, the man coming over, helping him, picking him up and placing him on this soft cushion.

He saw a movement and shifted his head slightly, seeing another person. A women with red hair and green eyes, seated across the room, shifting closer to him. He sniffed in the woman's direction, taking in the smell of vanilla and lilies. She didn't have the animal scent, and the dog decided she was safe.

He moved to get up, and let out a whine, everything was sore, and he couldn't remember anything. He couldn't work out why he was on the road in the first place, all he could remember was the cars coming towards him, and trying to get out-of-the-way, fast. He could picture in his mind, the first one swerving away, the second one froze suddenly, and the last one, he almost dodged, but somehow it still hit him.

Then he remembered the man appearing, and now he was somewhere warm, comfortable, and was in less pain. The man had brought him somewhere safe, and was looking after him. If the man wasn't going to hurt him, then he had no reason to be scared.

"It's a good thing you were there," Lily said to Remus. "If any of the cars hit him straight on, like you said, they would have quite possibly killed the poor thing."

He felt the mans hand stroking his head, and the mans arm was in front of his face. This man had saved his life, he owed this man his life. The words 'life debt' lingered in his head, but he didn't quite understand what they meant.

He focused hard on the people in front of him, and although one had a scent he was uncomfortable with, he could feel that they were safe.

He gently licked the arm, trying to thank the man for helping him, and saw the amber eyed man smile at him.

"You can stay here with me until we find your owner," the man said, softly, and the dog let out a whine, hoping that the man would understand that he was agreeing, before closing his eyes again.

* * *

**Sirius' scar mentioned at the beginning is not a Werewolf bite.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, they had an Order meeting and James was exhausted, as he had searched the area throughout the night, looking for a sign of Sirius being alive. There was nothing. He had tried calling him on his mirror, but again, there had been nothing.

They had scoured the town the day before, but no-one could work out what had happened. A meeting had been called that evening, arranging small groups to go out and look for him, but they all came back empty handed. The next meeting had been called for the following day, the meeting James was at now.

He stood behind his parents' chairs in the Headquarters, as the members arrived for the emergency meeting, hoping for some news on Sirius Black.

James looked around the room, listening to everyone talking, with no helpful idea of where Sirius could be, or what could have happened to him. No-one could seem to come up with anything useful to offer, no plan of action or suggestion, and James' attempts to speak up were drowned out by everyone else. It was times like this that he hated being one of the younger members of the Order, as though his thoughts and opinions weren't as important as the elder members.

"I know they have him, we have to find him," James shouted, trying to be heard over the group.

He was ignored and was overcome with anger, as someone wondered aloud if Sirius had possibly gotten distracted from the mission, and was passed out in an alley, drunk.

"Sirius wouldn't do that during a mission," he protested, the anger radiating out of his body, and his hand twitching to pull his wand out. "He would be careful, the mission would come first over anything. I don't appreciate anyone trying to make him out to be unreliable."

Albus Dumbledore looked over at James, taking in his frustrated and concerned appearance, and could see the anger on his face. He called the meeting to order, he himself worried about Sirius. He knew Sirius would have returned if he could have. He wondered what was stopping Sirius. Was he injured? Taken by Death Eaters? Or just missing?

"Sirius Black was last seen trailing Lucius Malfoy," Dumbledore said, as the group quietened down. "James lost them both due to crowds, and not wanting to draw attention to himself, which would have resulted in them being spotted. He tried to catch up, but they were out of sight by that point. James searched the nearby streets, and upon failure to spot them, he returned to wait by the Apparation point, assuming that Sirius would return there to look for him."

Dumbledore looked around, and saw all eyes were on him.

"James waited over an hour before alerting us, assuming that Sirius wouldn't take much longer than that length of time. Some Order members went back with James, and he showed them exactly where he lost Sirius, and they checked the local area, but with no sign of him. This meeting is to decide our next move. We need to find Sirius, or find which way he went. We need something."

There was a muttering around the room.

"Sirius would have been back within the hour, he wouldn't have lingered. He would have found the building and come back to the meeting point, or contacted me by our two-way mirrors, to let me know which way to go to find him," James said.

"Why don't we start by making a list of buildings – warehouses, abandoned buildings and the like, and try find any magical signature in any of them, it doesn't matter who's, just anything to prove where the meeting was being held. Chances are, we'll find Sirius' nearby and can work out what happened," Charlus offered.

"I can work on that, I'll get a list for tomorrow," Mary said, from the front of the room.

"Thank you, Mary, please cover both the area where the Apparation point is, and where James last saw Sirius."

"Cover a couple of miles from each, and I'll check them out once you have the list, if I don't find anything, then check a wider area."

Mary nodded. "Come to mine in the morning, we'll get a list up together, you can show me exactly where you last saw Sirius, and the way he was heading. I'll get a list printed for you straight away."

James gave her a smile and nodded his head, glad that someone was helping him.

"What if Sirius is dead?" came a voice from the other side of the room, and James spun around to look at Marlene McKinnon.

"I'm sorry to say that, James, but it's a possibility, after all. We have to prepare ourselves for it."

"He can't be," James spat out, glaring hatefully at the women.

"I doubt that they killed him," Dumbledore said. "Although we can't rule that out, I think that Voldemort might find the idea of having Sirius Black, heir to the Black family on their side, as a welcome idea. We all know that Sirius' brother Regulus is a Death Eater, so we can only hope that he can help Sirius until we find him or work out a plan."

Albus turned to James.

"We're going to start doing spells to find him. It's tricky, as we have to have some idea where he is. We're going to need something that has his magical essence on it. A ring that he sometimes wears on his wand hand, or gloves would work best?"

"He has a ring that he doesn't wear anymore," James said, after a minutes thought. "I'll take a look for it in his room and bring it to you tomorrow morning?"

Albus was satisfied with that, and the meeting drew to a close, after he asked for more suggestions, and got none.

James Apparated back to the area, and went to the last spot he had seen Sirius, and started in the direction Sirius had been heading in. He walked for ten minutes, and found himself at a busy road. He turned back to examine the streets again, looking in alleys, and he finally ended up back on the main street. He crossed the road, went into a café, and ordered himself a coffee to take away, before he resumed his search, looking for any hint that Sirius could have been there.

He didn't even glance twice at the man walking down the high-street, with large amber eyes, and a grin on his face. The man that was carrying a dog bed under one arm, and a carrier bag in the other hand. Had he listened carefully, he would have heard the man humming a popular Wizard song, but he was too preoccupied with scouring the streets, trying to get an idea of what had happened to Sirius.

He prayed that Sirius was still alive. He'd know if his friend died, surely? No, Sirius was alive somewhere out there, and James would find him and rescue him.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a couple of hours before the dog woke up again, and he found himself listening to the soft tones of the man's voice as he talked on the phone. The sound kept him feeling calm and relaxed.

"Large, Irish Wolfhound I think. I mean, that's what he most closely resembles when I looked online, I could be wrong on that though."

He listened carefully, as the man paused for a moment.

"Hit by a car, but not injured, more shocked than anything. He's been checked over."

There was another pause, and the dog sat up, wondering what was happening.

"No, it's fine. I can keep him here. No problem at all. Thank you anyway. I'll call back in a week, so if anyone comes in... Yes, thank you. Bye."

He listened as the man had the same conversation four more times, before sitting down next to the dog.

The black dog moved around carefully, stretching out, and realised that there was no pain, just a slight tenderness to the area from the day before.

"Hey, boy," the man said, softly, reaching his hand out slowly, and letting the dog sniff it. It still smelt strange, but he wanted to trust the man who had saved him, so he pushed down his confusion and worry over the smell, and allowed the hand to slowly move closer. He knew that the man who had saved him wouldn't hurt him.

"So, I can't seem to find out anything about you. No missing reports with any of the local dog homes, nothing on Gumtree or any other site about a missing dog. I think you'll be staying here a bit longer than expected. I'll keep trying to find your owners, but for the time being, I'll be your owner, if that's okay with you? I mean, it would be nice to have the company," the man told him.

The dog sniffed his hand again, and gave it a careful lick.

"But, to do that, I'm going to need to get some things. A bed for you, for starters. Some toys, a collar... that sort of thing, so I'll need to go out for a bit."

Remus noticed the sad eyes the dog was giving him. "Now don't look at me like that, I'm getting you a collar just in case you get lost again, or hurt, people will let me know and I'll come and get you, and fix you up again. I don't want you to get hurt after all. Plus, we can do things like go for a run in the park, but to get you there I'll have to get you a collar and lead. You need a bed to sleep on, bowls to eat from. Maybe a ball for the park, or a Frisbee."

Remus stood up, ignoring the sad look on the dogs face as he walked away.

"For now, you'll have to make use of the plastic tubs, well, at least until I get back," he said, lifting up two tubs from the counter, and placing them on the kitchen floor.

The dog walked over, and sniffed them, before eagerly pawing at the tub with food in it, tipping onto its side, making the food to fall out.

Remus laughed as the dog pawed at one of the sausages, before he left the room to grab his phone, keys, wand and wallet. The dog gave up pawing at the food. He felt confused. Did he always eat food off the floor? Something was telling him he should lift the food with his paws before eating, so he tried that. He couldn't work it out. How was he supposed to lift it up?

He was too hungry to even care that much, so he gave up trying, and instead decided to eat the food where it was.

Remus watched him walk off with one of the sausages, and quickly went back into the kitchen, scooped the rest up, and put them back into the tub, after fixing it upright again. He washed his hands, and opened the door, calling for Lily.

Lily appeared moments later, and went over to the dog, who had finished his sausage. He sniffed her, before licking her hand, eagerly. There was something familiar about the girl's scent. He had been too dazed before to think about it, but she smelt familiar. He decided to go back to the food, and wonder about the girl later.

"Sausages and bacon, Remus?" She said, her eyebrows raised.

"It's not like I keep dog food sitting around the place. Plus, I'm sure he's enjoying that more than any questionable bits of meat in slimy jelly or hard dry crap," Remus said, looking fondly at the dog, who was clearly enjoying the food.

"There's more on the side for him afterwards," Remus said, before petting the dog, and he was relieved that the dog didn't flinch. It instead watched him carefully, as though taking in the words and assessing him.

He picked up his keys.

"I'll be back in an hour. Let me know if there's any problems, Lily," he said.

"It'll be fine, Remus," she replied.

The dog watched them both, processing the names they had called each other. He wondered if he had a name himself, and wondered why they didn't remind him what it was.

**...oOo...**

Remus headed down to the nearest Pets 'R' Us, and picked up a basket. He wasn't quite sure where to start, and as he aimlessly wandered around the pet aisles, a girl approached him, and offered him assistance.

He explained that he had taken in a large dog, and told her that he needed everything and soon he found himself at the till with a big heap of stuff, that hopefully the dog would like. As he went to pay, the girl came over again.

"You'll need to get him a tag too. You can pay now, and I'll get one made up for you?"

Remus hesitated for a moment. The owners might be looking for the dog, and they might find him, so Remus might only have a few days... but on the other hand, the tag was cheap, and it would come in handy, should his dog escape.

"Sure," he replied, and quickly paid for all the items. At the end of the till, the girl handed him a pen and paper, and asked him to write the information for the dog on the slip of paper, along with a contact number. Remus quickly wrote his phone number and address, wanting them both to be on the tag, in case he was lost locally, in which case, someone could walk him back.

"Do you want to put the dog's name too?" She asked.

He thought for a moment, before taking the pen and paper back, and wrote the dog's new name down.

'Padfoot.'

**...oOo...**

"It's been three weeks without word. Our spy has no knowledge of Sirius being captured," Dumbledore said, and let his eyes fall on James' face.

"That can't be right. Are you sure your spy is accurate? Are you sure he's really on our side?" James said, his voice hoarse and lifeless, asking the same questions he had asked the previous week, when Dumbledore had given the same news.

Everyone turned to look at him, and he glared around the room, his bloodshot eyes filled with anger. He wasn't a pretty sight. Hair that he once took pride in was unwashed and flat. He looked thin, and was clearly exhausted. He had spent all his time listening for word on Sirius, sneaking down Knockturn Alley, listening for rumours, walking around the Muggle area where he had disappeared from, knocking on doors, checking alleys and behind shops.

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm positive," he answered.

"I'm afraid to say that it's quite possible we're just searching for a body," Moody said, bluntly.

"No-one fucking asked you," James growled, as he started to shake in anger.

He looked at everyone's expressions, how they all pitied him, and hated the stares. He knew that Sirius was alive. For once, his mother didn't scold his language, or the fact that he should show Moody a bit more respect, that his comment wasn't necessary. The Potters hadn't given up hope of finding Sirius alive.

"We'd know if he was dead. They'd brag about it, taking down a blood-traitor. We would have heard about it one way or another," James snapped.

"Unless he's been held for questioning?" Frank suggested, softly. "He'd still be alive then. We all know Sirius wouldn't tell them a thing, and they're twisted enough to think they could break him. I think he's still alive, pissing off the Death Eaters."

"Do we have any idea where the Death Eaters are meeting?" James asked, looking at the elder members of the order, and finally letting his gaze snap to Dumbledore.

"No, the last house, we had the Ministry do a raid on it, we haven't found where the rest of the meetings happen yet. We don't think it's wise for you to know either, because we don't want you to do anything rash," his father said from behind him.

"Rash? Sirius is missing, I'm not going to be stupid and rush in there, I'm going to get in and get him out, the Potter way," he said, hinting to his father about the cloak.

"If we find any proof whatsoever that they have him, and the whereabouts, I'll be the one to go in and get him," Charlus told his son firmly.

"Why you?"

"Because you're not the only person who sees Sirius as family in this room. We took him in years ago, we've been trying to find him too. Me and your mother see Sirius as another son, and we want him home."

"We go together," James replied, fixing his father with a glare.

"I'll consider it, if you are sensible about this, and if we find the proof we need."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Moody growled. "I hope very much that he's alive, but we have to face facts. If he was alive, someone, somewhere would know something. The spies haven't any knowledge, the Death Eaters we mingle with on a daily basis at work haven't made any comments to cause suspicion on the matter, you boy, you've not heard anything in your search. I still suggest we head out to the Muggle area, and start searching for a body."

No-one stopped James as he rushed out of the meeting, Apparating to where he last saw Sirius, and starting the search he had done daily, sometimes twice a day, trying to find any indication that Sirius was alive.

He placed Sirius' ring on his finger, the spell making Sirius' magical signature very clear to the wearer. It drew him along where Sirius' magical signature headed, which stopped just before the main road.

Something happened on this road to Sirius, and James was determined to find out what. He started the slow process of heading into every shop with a picture of Sirius, charmed so the occupants were unable to move, asking if anyone had seen his friend.

The answer was the same as the week before. No. Always no.

Finally James gave in for the evening, he could barely stand up any longer, and he made his way to the Alley, Apparating himself home a few seconds before a man, a redheaded woman, and a black dog walked past, the dog's eyes lingering on the alley, the same place that James had been seconds before. Padfoot felt like he was supposed to be there, but Remus called him on.

"Come on, Padfoot, let's go to the park and have a run?"

Padfoot turned away from the alley, and walked next to Remus. He always found himself at the alley, and he had a feeling about that place, but Remus was going to take him to the park. He loved running next to Remus when they were jogging.


	4. Chapter 4

The weeks passed by quickly, and soon three weeks had gone since Remus had found Padfoot. He knew what was going to happen the following evening, and it would be the first time he'd left the dog alone overnight.

Remus cooked a pizza for dinner, feeding a couple of slices to Padfoot, and filling the dog's bowl with tea. Padfoot had taken a liking to tea and human food, and Remus was more than happy to share. He knew there was no point even attempting to give Padfoot dog food, since Lily had gone out and bought some, and Padfoot had refused it, and ignored the pair of them for the whole evening, until Remus had given in and cooked the dog some pork chops, worried that Padfoot was going to end up starving.

Lily had stomped back to her own flat, muttering about how dogs should eat dog food, and that if Remus had left him, the dog would have eaten it. She went on about how Padfoot was spoilt and how Remus was a pushover. Seeing Padfoot happy again was worth it, though. Remus realised that it must be boring to be a dog, and he aimed to make the dog's life as interesting as possible. If that meant cooking the dog its own dinner, and taking him for long walks, than that was the least Remus could do for his new pet.

That evening, Remus stuck on a movie and sat down on the sofa, and within seconds Padfoot was sitting up next to him. His head was rested against Remus' leg.

"Did you miss me today, Padfoot?" Remus asked, and Padfoot let out a small whine. He turned his head and looked at the man with his clear silver eyes, hoping to get Remus to scratch his ears in the relaxing way the man always did when they were done with the walk and dinner.

"Well, I'm off work tomorrow and the day after, however, you'll be staying with Lily tomorrow night, and she'll be taking you on your walks instead of me."

He listened to Padfoot whine again, slightly louder, and saw the confusion in the dog's eyes.

"I know, I haven't left you before, but it won't be often, I promise. I haven't got a choice. I've got to transform tomorrow."

Padfoot let out another slightly louder whine, and stared at Remus. Remus was sure he could see concern in his eyes.

"Well, it's because I'm a werewolf," Remus explained to his pet. "I haven't got a choice. If I had a choice, I wouldn't do it, it's the feeling of all your bones breaking and reshaping themselves, some stretching, some shrinking. It sometimes makes me feel like I'm close to dying. Then I wake up the next morning, in agony from the night, and the two transformations. There's been a few times that this has almost killed me, but I haven't had one of those transformations in a long time."

Remus didn't care if he looked crazy, chatting away to the dog, but the way Padfoot looked at him, he knew that the dog could understand. It was nice to talk, and not be judged. Not that Lily would ever judge him, but he just felt happy sharing all this with his pet, knowing that the dog wouldn't look at him with pity.

A louder whine this time, proving to Remus that Padfoot did understand him, and was attempting to reply.

"I've been doing it for years. I guess that's why I'm alone. People don't want to associate with us creatures. No matter that I spend every single day as a man, and one night as a wolf. No matter that I work in a library, and give change to the homeless Muggle on the corner, or cast warming charms on his bedcovers in the winter, and spells to keep rain off, and healing potions into bottles of water I offer him, and basically anything else I can get away with to make his life that little bit more bearable. I donate to charity too, I give all my old stuff to charity shops, so they can sell it on, rather than throwing it away... but no matter how much good I do, I'll always be this... thing, this monster."

Padfoot lifted his head, and tilted it. The words sounded so familiar.

"I know, I don't understand it either," Remus informed him, the words weighing down on him. "I was bitten when I was five. What five year old could be a dark monster? But that's what the world decided to treat me as from that day on. I may be a monster one night a month, but there are worse ones out there. It just makes me wonder, did I just suddenly become a monster the second those teeth sank into me, and almost killed me? What would those people do if it were their sons and daughters? Would they feel the same if their own innocent child was bitten? I never ever want to hurt anyone, and I make sure I'm locked up every month, so the monster inside can't cause anyone pain. I've never bitten anyone, and I never plan to."

Padfoot shifted into Remus' lap more.

"There's an evil man – Lord Voldemort," Remus whispered the name. It set off an alarm in Padfoot's head, and he growled slightly. Remus brought his hand back into the fur by Padfoot's ears, and started running his fingers through it.

"He sends others of my kind after me, they keep asking me to join them, they're trying to talk me around, but I never would. The other wolves, they've been duped by promises, but we'll be going from one prejudiced world to another, but to one that's worse than this. That man, he can't make the world better, he'll just destroy it. I won't be party to that, I won't help him hurt innocent people, even if he makes promises of a potion to relieve the pain. I could never do it. I can't hurt anyone. I'd rather live in this world and suffer, than in one that he creates with all his darkness."

Padfoot whimpered. He didn't like the sound of the man that his master had mentioned. He moved closer, and found himself sprawled across Remus' lap.

"I just want a normal life, Pads, just to be ordinary. Merlin, I'd even give up my magic to be fully human and not a werewolf. I hate it, I hate how I'm judged before people get to know me. It hurts that I can't ever have anything real with anyone, a real relationship, because no-one will accept me; and those that do treat me like crap because they see me as below them. I'm glad I have a friend like Lily at least," he said. "But that's all I have."

Padfoot growled slightly, and Remus ruffled his fur.

"And you of course. I don't feel so lonely with you here. You seem to understand my words more than other animals, plus animals are usually scared of me, but you're not. You're brave."

Padfoot barked softly in agreement. Something was niggling at the back of his head. The colours gold and red were prominent in his thoughts, as was the image of a lion, but he didn't understand what he was seeing. Was it a scarf? No, a banner? Whatever it was, it wasn't important for the time being. He'd have time to think that over later.

He knew he would stay brave for Remus, he'd protect him from this Lord Voldemort, and anyone else who wanted to hurt him. He let out a soft whine, hoping Remus would understand that Padfoot wanted to look after him. Remus had been so kind and saved his life, after all.

Something in the back of his mind tried to convince him that Werewolves were bad, but he knew that didn't apply to Remus. Remus was good. He said so himself, and Padfoot believed him. He would never doubt that his master was a good man.

He ignored the visions in his mind of a man; a dirty unkempt man with yellowing teeth, who just reeked of evil. Remus was nothing like that wolf.

He focused on Remus' hands scratching softly behind his ears, and through his fur, and let himself drift off.

**...oOo...**

The next day came, and Padfoot could tell his owner was in pain. The man was moving around stiffly, and Padfoot was worried. He kept pushing and herding Remus back to the sofa, reluctant to let him move about. He didn't want Remus to fall or hurt himself, or cause himself more pain. When Remus was insistent on getting up, and ignored Padfoot trying to stop him, the dog walked with him, hoping to keep him steady.

He watched from the top of the stairs, as Lily locked up the main doors for the evening, Remus went downstairs, despite Padfoot's attempts at herding him back into the apartment.

He was annoyed when Remus just patted him on the head, and made his way down stairs. Padfoot bit into Remus' sleeve, careful not to bite the man himself, and tried to pull him back, causing his sleeve to rip, and Remus to stumble.

Remus steadied himself, and crouched down to Padfoot's level.

"That's enough, Padfoot," he scolded, and Padfoot lowered himself slightly, letting out a whine. Couldn't Remus see that he was just looking after him? That he was just concerned?

Remus saw the dog looking upset, and sighed. "I have no choice. I know you can tell something's wrong, and you're a good dog, but this is going to happen every month and you have to let me go for the night," he said softly.

Padfoot let out a pitiful whine. He didn't want Remus to disappear and leave him alone, even for a night. He understood clearly that Remus had to go. He reluctantly backed away. Surely whatever his master was doing, he was allowed to help?

Half an hour later, Lily had brought him into her flat, and he could sense something. He couldn't hear a sound, but he could sense something happening. He whined and scratched at the door, and Lily grabbed his lead. The moment she opened her door, he ran towards the basement, and started trying to get in through the door. He could smell his master, he could smell blood and he could smell the overpowering smell of another animal. The one that normally only lingered around his master.

The smell of wolf confused him, as it smelt the almost the same as his master. It took him a minute to remember his master talking about turning into a wolf. He must be a wolf behind that door.

Lily got to the bottom of the stairs, and grabbed him, but he wasn't going to move. His master needed him. He put all his weight into staying in front of the door, and lay down as she tried to pull him away.

She pulled out her wand, tempted to use it to levitate the dog back upstairs, or stun the dog so she could bring him up, but after a minute she put it away and sat down on the stairs, trying to coax him over. He refused to move.

After an hour, she sighed and went upstairs, appearing half an hour later to check on him, an hour after that, and then finally coming down in the early hours of the morning to unlock the door.

He bounded around happily, impatiently, waiting for her to open the door, but was shocked when she used her wand to set a ward around the door, stopping him from going in. His master needed him.

He breathed in the scent of blood and barked from the doorway, as she walked into the room.

**...oOo...**

Lily walked in, expecting to see Remus worse, considering there had been an animal in smelling distance, but he actually wasn't as bad as usual. She carefully wrapped his robe around him, having long ago stopped being shy at the sight of him naked, and helped him up.

He leaned on her for support, as she led the way from the room, Padfoot immediately rushing to his other side, and herding him up the stairs and to his own apartment.

Lily gave Remus his potions, and quickly healed him, before taking Padfoot on her morning jog, even though he was reluctant to leave Remus' side. Once she opened the main door, Padfoot dragged her upstairs to Remus' apartment. She let him in, looked in on Remus, who was fine, and headed back to her own to shower and get ready for work.

Padfoot jumped up onto Remus' bed, and curled up next to his sleeping master.

Next time Remus transformed, Padfoot decided he would be there with him. He wouldn't allow either of them to stop him.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a few hours before Remus woke up again, to find Padfoot curled into his side, fast asleep. He reached down carefully and scratched Padfoot behind his ears, which caused the dog to wake up and lick his hand.

"Keeping you was the best decision I've ever made," Remus mumbled, laying still, only moving his hand to scratch his dog.

Padfoot barked, his tail wagging happily. He agreed with the man. He didn't know anything from before the accident, but surely he couldn't have been looked after better than he was now. Remus had stopped Lily giving him dog food, and instead cooked him proper food. Remus took him on lots of walks, and they'd run around the park, and he'd join Lily on her morning jogs sometimes.

Remus was always bringing home new toys for him, and always made sure the radio was on in the bedroom, so he could listen to it.

Even if he had another master, something he remembered Remus mentioning when he first started living with him, he wouldn't want to go anywhere. He wanted to stay with Remus. He would stop anyone who tried to make him leave.

Remus smiled at Padfoot's happy bark.

"I know, I love you too," Remus replied. "I think just having you outside the door calmed my wolf down. You're brilliant, Padfoot, normally I hurt myself a lot more than this."

Padfoot let out a small bark, glad that he was making the man so happy. He knew he would be there every time Remus needed him in the future.

"Let's have a snack, and meet Lily from work," Remus suggested, slowly getting up off the bed and stretching. He went into the kitchen, with Padfoot following, and started to pull out everything he needed to make sandwiches. He used some leftover chicken for his, and put a couple of handfuls of the chicken into Padfoot's bowl. He made tea, pouring some out for Padfoot too, and smiling down at his companion, as the dog enjoyed his lunch.

A couple of hours later, they were standing outside Lily's work, and she emerged with a box of pastries. She looked shocked to see him out and about so soon after a transformation.

"I thought we'd have a treat tonight," Lily said, gesturing to the box. "I collected them at lunchtime."

Padfoot let out a happy bark, as they crossed the road, and turned the corner, narrowly missing James, who came out of the shop next door, and walked into proceeded to walk into Lily's work, clutching a picture of Sirius and looking like he hadn't slept in weeks.

As they arrived back at the converted house, Lily went to open her door.

"Movies?" Remus suggested, and Lily smiled, and nodded. "I'll get changed and follow you up. Should I order takeaway?"

Remus nodded. "What should we get?"

Lily thought for a moment. "I'll look through my menus, but I wouldn't mind Indian or Chinese?"

She followed Remus' thoughtful gaze, which landed on Padfoot.

"You are not feeding your dog either of those. I still have some tins of dog food –" she started.

Padfoot let out a growl.

"Okay, we'll cook the bloody mutt something, and have takeaway ourselves?"

Remus nodded, and she turned and went into her flat.

He headed upstairs, got changed into something more comfortable, and started digging out snacks. A few minutes later, Lily came in. She picked out a film, as Remus poured the hot popcorn into a bowl, and sat down next to him on the sofa, slipping off her shoes and pulling her legs under her. They looked over the takeaway menus together, and Remus dialed the number.

"Food will be a couple of hours," Remus said, as he finished the call, and he saw Lily's narrowed eyes focused on him.

"Don't think I missed that you ordered extra food. You are really giving the dog Chinese food?"

Remus nodded. "Well, he might like the smell, and then it would be unfair –"

"Remus, you do understand that he's a dog, right?" Lily said.

Remus nodded. "So? If I want to spoil him, then what's the problem?" he asked, defensively.

Lily paused. "Okay, he's your dog, I'll try to drop it," she said, instead of continuing. She hated when Remus used that tone, he didn't use it often, so the few times he did, Lily found herself giving in.

A minute later, Padfoot appeared in front of her, blocking out the television. Lily sighed, as Remus leaned slightly, trying to get a better view without bothering the dog.

Padfoot moved after a couple of minutes, standing in front of Lily, just watching her. She threw a few bits of popcorn on the floor next to her, hoping he'd move, but he ignored them. Instead, he squeezed himself into the miniscule gap between her and Remus, and stretched himself into Lily, whilst glaring at her, digging his hind legs into her hard, and effectively pushing her off the sofa.

She sighed again, as she stood up and headed to the kitchen, to make a second bowl of popcorn. She returned quickly, to find Remus sharing his with Padfoot, and she settled on the armchair instead.

"Bloody jealous pest," she said fondly, and Remus chuckled.

Two hours passed quickly, and the food arrived. Remus served it up, they sat down to eat, and Remus was glad that he had ordered some for Padfoot, as the dog had taken a liking to the prawn crackers, which were always given free, but which Remus and Lily never ate themselves. He put some of the extra food into Padfoot's bowl, and the dog ate it happily, and Remus shot Lily a smug smile.

They returned to the sofa, Padfoot taking the spot next to Remus again, resting his head on Remus' leg, and enjoying Remus' hand stroking his back.

**...oOo...**

A week later, Padfoot started to notice a change. It was quite simple at first, where Remus would have his phone out more often. Then Remus started going out for the evening every few days, which meant Padfoot started to see less of him than before. It also coincided with a new name being mentioned in conversation, and graduated onto Remus having his phone out a lot, texting. Padfoot started making plans to get the phone to have a nice chew, but Remus never seemed to give him time alone with it.

Padfoot wasn't happy that Remus had someone new in his life. Remus would go out a few evenings a week, and Lily would keep an eye on Padfoot, even so much as to take him jogging with her, but he would sulk by the main door until Remus returned. He would always get attention off Remus before he went out and after he returned home, but Padfoot didn't like this new arrangement one bit. He already had to share Remus with Lily, there was no space for another person.

Lily started dragging him back up to the apartment until Remus returned, and a few nights before the next full moon, Remus returned early.

Padfoot was ecstatic, and jumped on Remus, licking his face, barking excitedly. Remus had clearly come to his senses, and wanted to spend the evening with him instead. He was relieved that Remus was back to normal.

Remus walked into the apartment, and Padfoot followed him, running around Remus in circles, licking at his hand, and trying to herd him over to the sofa, so they could watch a movie and he could have his fur stroked, but Remus put out a hand to stop Padfoot. Padfoot waited to see what Remus was going to do, and he watched as Remus turned, and beckoned someone in. Padfoot saw movement in the direction of the door.

He froze.

"Padfoot, this is Benjy."

He turned to the man who had just walked in. "This is Padfoot," he said.

Benjy leaned down, extending his hand. "I've heard a lot about you, boy," he said, in a simpering voice. "I've heard you're such a good dog."

Padfoot stared at him as he moved closer and closer, his hand almost at Padfoot's nose. He didn't like the baby voice the man was using, as though Padfoot was stupid. He did not like anyone acting like he was just a stupid animal. The thought alone made him angry, but he refrained from showing it.

Benjy looked up at Remus, from where he was crouched on the floor in front of Padfoot, and they shared a smile. That was it. That was the breaking point. Padfoot started growling. He didn't like the situation one bit. He didn't like the man, he didn't like the smiling, he didn't like how that man looked at his Remus.

This man needed to leave his home.

Benjy's smile turned into a frown, and Remus looked confused.

"What's wrong, Padfoot?" said Remus, moving closer, and reaching out to him. Padfoot immediately calmed down, and licked Remus' wrist, but when Remus stepped back, and Padfoot's gaze was on Benjy again, he let out a low growl.

"Padfoot," scolded Remus, and Padfoot whined, his tail dropping between his legs and he walked to his cushion, sulking with his back to the men.

Remus looked at him for a moment, before looking back to Benjy.

"Padfoot is quite new, I think he's still wary around new people as he doesn't meet people too often," Remus said, assuming it could be true. It was the most likely he could think of. "But he's usually very friendly."

"It's okay," Benjy said, and followed Remus to the sofa, where Remus put on a movie.

Throughout the movie, Padfoot tried to climb between them four times, Remus pushing him off the sofa each time, trying to be gentle but firm, but Remus' patience was waning.

On the fifth attempt, he pushed Padfoot down. "Padfoot, no," he scolded, and Padfoot got the hint and returned to his cushion.

Once Padfoot started leaving them alone, Remus found Benjy's lips on his and things flowed fast, hands moving, buttons being undone, trousers being pulled down, and touching.

And growling.

Remus removed his lips from Benjy's neck. Usually he was the one to growl, but his smirk faded when he realised it hadn't been Benjy either. The men both looked at Padfoot, who was growling, ready to jump at Benjy, he had raised hackles, and was baring his teeth. He looked dangerous and utterly terrifying.

Benjy quickly moved off Remus, and hurried to grab his clothes, as the dog edged towards him. He quickly pulled the trousers on by the door. "Stay?" Remus asked. "I'll put Padfoot in the bedroom." Benjy just shook his head, and rushed out, clutching the rest of his clothes, trying to get away from the crazy dog, and Remus' head fell in his hands.

After a moment he looked up at a happy Padfoot, and noticed the dog's tail was wagging.

"Bad dog," he scolded, feeling angry with his pet for the first time since he got him, and Padfoot felt confused. He was doing his job, keeping bad people away from his master. That's what Remus wanted. The bad people to stay away, right? He didn't like what that man was doing and the man needed had needed to stop, and Padfoot had stopped him.

Padfoot's tail and ears drooped, and he lay on the floor in a submissive position, his head between his paws. He let out a whimper as he watched Remus walk off, shutting the bedroom door behind him, again, something Remus didn't usually do. The bedroom door was _always_ left open.

He got up after a minute, not understanding the noises coming from the bedroom, and scratched on the door. For the first time, his scratching and barking were both ignored by Remus. He waited a little while, and went back to the door, and realised the noises had stopped.

He scratched again, and barked a few times, but there was still silence. He padded dejectedly back to his cushion, but he wasn't comfortable. The cushion smelt wrong. He got back up and sniffed around the room, and spotted Remus' cardigan on the floor, where Remus had forgotten to pick it up. He picked it up carefully between his teeth, and dropped it on Remus' side of the sofa. He curled up, his nose buried in the cardigan, and his eyes on Remus' door.

He hoped that the man would forgive him for whatever he had done wrong, and let him in.

Padfoot didn't have a clue why Remus was mad, and he wracked his brain, but couldn't quite figure it out. He guessed it had something to do with that Benjy person. The man who had taken Remus away from him, taking Remus' time, and taking his spot on the sofa.

Clearly Benjy was trying to get between him and his master, and he most probably made Remus hate Padfoot.

Padfoot was aware of the small whines that he was making, but found himself unable to stop. He missed Remus.

Remus didn't emerge from the room until morning.


	6. Chapter 6

"James, it has been almost two months. My sources can't find any trace of him with Voldemort. He hasn't been captured, and there's been no word of them killing him. I have no idea what could have happened," Dumbledore admitted. He looked over at James.

"That just means he's still alive," James replied, his voice heavy, but filled with determination. "I'll find him."

"I think it's about time you give up your search, the Order needs you for –" Moody started.

"There is no way I'm giving up on finding him. He's my brother, and finding him goes before anything or anyone else," James snapped, not even raising his voice. His gaze flickered between Dumbledore and Moody.

Dumbledore stared at James for a long time before nodding.

"One more month, James, and then we need you," Dumbledore told him. "You're best off looking for Sirius right now, you're too preoccupied to do any missions, and I can't send you on any, because you'd most likely get yourself hurt, but at the end of the one month, I need you back to normal, whether or not Sirius has been found."

James sighed, before nodding. He knew he would have to step up the search somehow. He walked out of the meeting, every set of eyes on his retreating form. He knew that there was someone out there who had to have Sirius, or who knew what had happened to him. He couldn't have just disappeared.

Charlus Potter quickly followed him from the room, as did Dorea.

As they got outside, the three Potters Apparated home, and James pulled out the map he had been working from.

"I've checked everywhere I've raided for signs of his magical signature, but nothing," Charlus said, offering Sirius' ring back to his son. "We may have to assume he's not in the Wizarding World. It seems the Death Eaters are also looking for him, so that means they don't have him, and Voldemort hasn't had him killed. He's either been killed by Death Eaters, without Voldemort's knowledge, or he's alive."

"He's alive," James said, trying to sound confident.

"Where should we start looking?" asked Dorea softly, and James explained where he had been already.

**...oOo...**

Remus went into his bedroom, furious at his pet. Why would Padfoot respond like that? Benjy hadn't done anything wrong at all, he had been really nice towards the dog, but Padfoot had still taken a great dislike to the man.

Remus was still aroused by Benjy's visit, and decided to at least sort himself out. He pulled his boxers off, and let his hand drift, as he remembered the feel of Benjy's touch on his skin, the feel of Benjy stroking him through his boxers, and Benjy's last words (before he was scared away).

"I really want to fuck you."

Remus felt his hand speed up as he stroked himself, forcing himself to ignore the scratches and the soft barks from the other side of the door. Instead, he pointed his wand at the door, and used a silencing spell.

It didn't take him long to cum. He had already been halfway there from Benjy's talented hands, and he sighed in frustration. He had been looking forward to shagging the other man, and he knew without a doubt that's where the night was clearly heading. Well, that was where it was supposed to head. It had been a long while since he had sex.

Benjy had been the first guy to really not care about him being a Werewolf, and who treated him decently. His relationships never lasted more then a few months, but maybe Benjy was different, maybe this one could have worked. How was he going to find someone else?

**...oOo...**

Remus was still angry when he woke up. Padfoot, his seemingly loveable pet, had been about to attack someone. The dog drove Benjy away last night, and Remus was still angry.

Maybe Lily was right. Padfoot was clearly too spoilt.

Remus left the room, and was aware of eyes on him as he walked through to the bathroom, but he didn't react. Instead, he headed straight for a shower, and got ready for work, hearing Lily come in and take Padfoot out for a jog.

He opened the fridge, still in a bad mood, and found himself not in the mood to cook sausages for the spoilt animal. Instead he opened a packet of ham, putting some slices in the dogs bowl, and pulled out a couple of croissants, adding them in. After a moment of thought, he took out a couple of plain digestive biscuits and put them on the coffee table for Padfoot to find. He also put down two drinking bowls. One of warm tea, with a spell to keep it nice and warm and to keep the milk from going funny, and the other of cool water.

He felt really annoyed with himself – he was still spoiling the dog. He would get the dog-food from Lily and give it to Padfoot for dinner, he decided.

Padfoot came back up soon afterwards, and Remus ignored him. Padfoot went to lay on his cushion, as Remus left for work without a word.

**...oOo...**

When Padfoot woke up that morning, he was hoping that Remus might not be mad at him anymore. He heard Remus move around the bedroom, and prepared himself to rush over, but he could tell from Remus' stony expression that the man didn't want to deal with him. Instead, he stayed where he was, just watching him, hoping for a kind word or a forgiving look, but there was none.

He didn't want to leave with Lily, but she was very insistent, and he felt restless. When he got back, Remus didn't acknowledge him in the slightest. He sadly lay on his cushion, and watched Remus leave without even looking at him. He wondered if Remus hated him. The only time he moved from the cushion was to retrieve the cardigan from the sofa and carry it to his bed. His master might not care about him anymore, but he still cared about his Remus.

**...oOo...**

"...and things were really heating up, I mean, I haven't had a good shag in... almost a year, actually, and that's where it was leading, his hands were really good and..."

"I don't want to hear all the details, Remus," Lily smirked, and Remus had the decency to blush.

"Oh, right, well, before anything could really happen, well, more than hands," he blushed again. "Padfoot went mental, I really thought he was going to attack Benjy," Remus said, with a sigh.

"He does seem quite possessive," Lily agreed.

"His hackles were raised, his teeth were bared, Lily. It was awful. I mean, Benjy moved away, but Padfoot followed. Benjy got out of there fast, and the second I looked back at Padfoot, he was his usual happy self."

"Well, I think it was all the testosterone in the air – maybe it made him angry? Maybe we should find a female companion for him, or get him fixed?"

Remus looked at her, appalled. "No, what kind of inhumane thing is that to do to the poor dog?" he asked.

Lily sighed. "I don't know," she admitted.

They sat in silence, contemplating the situation, before Remus spoke up.

"Movie night?" Remus suggested, and Lily nodded. "How about I take Padfoot for a run and you set up?" Lily offered, and Remus agreed, and led the way upstairs.

Padfoot didn't move from his cushion when they came into the flat. He hadn't seen Remus all day, and had been bored and lonely. He was usually fine, because he usually got a few minutes with Remus in the mornings, and Remus wouldn't disappear into Lily's flat in the afternoons for an hour (not without bringing him).

He watched Remus nervously, hoping for some sign of forgiveness, so he could run over, and jump on him like he usually did, but the man didn't call him over, or look excited to see him, so he stayed where he was. Lily came over and clipped his lead to him, and he reluctantly followed her outside.

Remus looked around at the tidy room and frowned. Usually Padfoot would have knocked over the box of toys and they would be scattered around the room. He noticed the cardigan in Padfoot's bed, and wondered if he threw it there the evening before by mistake. He must have. He picked it up and brought it to the washing basket in the kitchen. He noticed the bowls on the floor, all of them were full, not a single bit of food gone.

Remus worried for a moment, and thoughts of getting the tins of dog food left his head. He stuck some sausages on the grill, and decided to give the dog the rest of the bacon that had a short date on it. Padfoot hadn't eaten all day, he would be hungry. The dog-food could start the next day instead.

He washed out the bowl before placing the food into it, and putting it in the living room, not too far from his cushion, and proceeded to get a movie ready. He got out the drinks, and made up some popcorn, before casting a spell to keep both the popcorn and Padfoot's food warm.

A couple of minutes later, the pair returned, and Sirius slunk over to his cushion, without even looking at the food bowl.

They watched one film before Remus went to pick up some KFC. They ate it whilst watching another film, and Remus had two pieces left. He quickly pulled the chicken from the bone, and headed over to put it in the dogs bowl, filled with surprise when he found the bowl still full from dinner.

He started to get even more worried. Padfoot hadn't eaten a thing all day and it appeared he hadn't left his cushion for the whole day either. Maybe he listened to the radio Remus left on?

Remus' eyes flicked towards his bedroom and he saw that the door was closed. He remembered closing it after himself that morning, so he went over to listen. The radio wasn't on. He headed back to the sofa, wondering why he hadn't bothered that morning. It wasn't like him, he always left it on for Padfoot. He watched Lily come back in from the bathroom, and take a seat next to him on the sofa.

Padfoot watched her sit down, and lay back down on his cushion. Remus was sure Padfoot was going to come over and demand his space, but he didn't seem to want to. The guilt started to build up inside him.

Lily put on the movie, and halfway through, Padfoot still hadn't moved.

"Padfoot," Lily called, and the dog slowly sat up.

"Come here," she said, scooping out a handful of popcorn, and offering it to the dog.

He slowly walked over, ignoring the offered hand. He looked nervous, Remus noticed. Padfoot stared at Lily and she got ready to move from the seat, expecting him to jump up like he did every time she came upstairs to the flat. He turned around to go back to his cushion. "Padfoot," she tried again, and she jumped up from the sofa, moving to the armchair, but the dog just continued to lay in his cushion.

"Do you think he's ill? He hasn't eaten, and I don't think he's even played with any of his toys today," Remus said, staring at the dog with concern.

"No, I don't think that's it. I think it has something to do with the fact that you've ignored the poor dog," Lily said, trying to keep her tone polite, but she hated seeing the poor animal so upset. It was just a defenceless dog, that clearly had no clue why his master was upset, and Remus was acting stupidly.

"What happened last night, after Benjy left?" She asked.

A growl came from Padfoot's bed. The first noise he'd made.

"Padfoot," Remus scolded, and he heard a whine, then the dog moved from his cushion and disappeared out of sight, around the back of the sofa.

Remus realised that he was making things worse.

"Did you tell him off last night?" Lily asked, and Remus nodded. He hardened his gaze and pulled back the guilt that was starting to overtake him.

"Yes, he wanted to attack someone, so I told him off," Remus said defensively.

"I agree, he needed to be told off, but that should have been it. What you've actually done is tell him off, and continue to punish him throughout the day, whilst acting like a child. Yes, Padfoot was in the wrong for growling at Benjy, yes he deserved to be told off, but you've spent the whole day sulking and treating that poor animal terribly."

Remus opened his mouth to reply, but Lily gave him a pointed look.

"It's your fault he's like this. You are the one that made him possessive, you spent every minute with him, and when Benjy came along, Padfoot got jealous that he had to share you. You brought Benjy back here and you let him sit in Padfoot's spot, which made the dog think that Benjy was more important to you, and you were putting Benjy first, by paying Benjy attention and not Padfoot."

"But –"

"Then you tried to shag him on the sofa, and you know Padfoot doesn't like anyone sitting in his spot. You could have easily just walked into the bedroom and closed the door, and shagged Benjy in there. The poor animal probably doesn't even know what he did wrong, but he clearly knows that you are angry at him. Yesterday, he was so full of life, and today, well, look at him. He's not even eaten a thing. He never sits on his cushion, and now he won't leave the cushion."

Remus started to feel guilty.

"I forgot to put the radio on for him, and I closed my bedroom door," Remus admitted.

Lily shook her head.

"You're like a child, Remus. The poor dog loves you, and you're supposed to look after him, and look at him. Padfoot thinks you hate him. The dog that you tell everything to. Maybe I should just take him downstairs until you get over yourself."

"I'm fine," Remus snapped. "He misbehaved and I told him off. I'm trying to treat him like a dog, as you keep telling me to," he added.

"You have to remember that he only has me and you, and he probably thought he was losing you." She looked around, but couldn't spot the dog.

As she got to the door, she turned back to him.

"Dogs can sense things other people can't. Maybe he honestly felt something bad about Benjy? Or maybe Benjy gave off some bad vibes, or reminded him of someone bad from his past? Maybe Padfoot actually has a reason to dislike Benjy? Padfoot has only tried to attack one person, out of all the people he meets, just one person. I'm not saying what he did was right, but you, Remus, you should know better. You're a grown man, not some child to throw a strop. Was getting a shag that important to you?"

She walked out, leaving the door open and Remus sighed.

He stood up, tidying the popcorn bowl away and the popcorn that was left on the floor for the dog. He cleaned out Padfoot's bowl, and threw on a steak, knowing it was Padfoot's favourite. Lily was right, he was acting like an idiot. Padfoot was his dog, and he didn't care that Padfoot didn't like Benjy when they met, yet he had still let the man into the flat. He had continuously pushed a confused Padfoot off the sofa, because he wanted to sit with Benjy instead, and scolded the dog after he had growled at Benjy. He ignored Padfoot when he had wanted to come into the bedroom, and had left him outside the room all night. He had ignored Padfoot all morning, and even during the evening. Padfoot was so upset that he wouldn't even sit next to Remus. He hadn't run to Remus when he had returned from work. Padfoot always came to greet him.

Remus suddenly realised how much he missed the dog greeting him.

In fact, the only reaction he had had was his growl when Benjy's name had been mentioned, and Remus had promptly scolded him.

Remus cut the steak up and put it into the freshly washed bowl.

"Padfoot," he called, putting the bowl down, but there was no answer.

He glanced around the kitchen, before heading down to the living room, looking at Padfoot's corner with his cushion, before checking behind the sofa. He poked his head into the bathroom, and even went as far as checking his room, even though the door was closed. He did another check around the flat, before realising that his door was open. He headed downstairs, and noticed the main door was also open.

Did Lily take Padfoot out for a walk?

He knocked on Lily's door, and was surprised when she opened it.

"Please tell me you took Padfoot?"

She shook her head, and he gestured to the open door.

"He's not in the flat. Not anywhere."

Lily frowned. "I left it open because I've been putting out the bins. I was just about to bring another out. I didn't see Padfoot when I opened the door."

"Do you think he ran away?" Remus asked nervously. The thought of his dog leaving was so much more upsetting than Benjy leaving the night before. Benjy was nothing, but Padfoot was his friend. Padfoot was important.

Lily gave him an accusing look. "I'll go find my coat, get yours and check your apartment again."

Remus went upstairs, the guilt overwhelming him. Had Padfoot run away because of how Remus had treated him? Remus didn't think he had been too bad, but when he really thought about it, he and Lily were the only people Padfoot had, and he felt sad that Padfoot didn't even want to sit on the sofa with him, so he couldn't even begin to feel how sad Padfoot felt, being ignored. He searched quickly, calling frantically for the dog, but it was clear he wasn't in the flat. Remus pulled the door open and rushed out.

He was angry at himself; his attitude had made the poor animal run away. Maybe that's what had happened before? Maybe he had had cruel owners that told him off a lot and neglected him, and Remus had done it himself. That would explain why the poor dog was so hurt. He was a bad person, how could he do that to Padfoot. Sex with Benjy wasn't important at all, he didn't care if Padfoot chased off every man who came over, as long as he found his dog again.

They searched for two hours before returning home, so Remus could start ringing the dog homes. He checked his mobile – no calls. His number had been on the dog tag, so if he was found, someone should have called him.

He was going to make the calls and go out again. Padfoot couldn't have gone far.

As they closed the door, his eyes fell on the basement door at the end of the hall that was ajar. He suddenly felt hopeful, and walked down the hall, Lily following, and pushed the door open. He took a deep breath and could smell that Padfoot had been in the room very recently. Chances were that he was still there.

Hopefully.

He went inside the room, and looked around, not seeing the dog. He noticed something on the floor, sticking out from under the bed. On closer inspection, it was his cardigan. The one he had worn the day before, the one he had picked off Padfoot's cushion when Lily had taken him for a walk that afternoon. The one that he had put in the washing basket a few hours before.

What was it doing down here?

"Padfoot," he said, softly, and listened carefully. He could hear the dog's breathing, and a small whimpering sound.

He crouched down by the bed. "Come out, Padfoot," he insisted, and slowly the dog crawled out from under the bed.

Remus marvelled at how the dog fit under there in the first place, as he watched him slink towards the stairs again, not even looking at him. Lily petted him on the way past, but he barely even paid attention. Remus followed him as he slunk upstairs and laid on his cushion.

"Padfoot," he called softly, and he watched his ears twitch, but the dog didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry," he said, hoping the dog would understand him. He heard a slight whine.

"I won't bring Benjy back here," he promised, and there was a growl the moment the man's name was said.

"Padfoot? Please?" He said, and the dog stayed silent. It seemed that Padfoot could hold a strop just as well as Remus.

Remus sighed, and gently ruffled the dog's ears. He put down some freshly made tea, and went to bed, leaving the door wide open for Padfoot to lay on the bed.

The next morning, Remus woke up to find Padfoot asleep just outside the doorway, as though he was scared of getting in trouble if he came in the room. The dog was sleeping on his cardigan again.

Remus decided he'd make it up to Padfoot, and decided to do something very unlike himself. He called in sick to work.

He walked over to Padfoot, who quickly moved back to his cushion, his head bent low, as though he had just been caught doing something wrong, and Remus wondered how accurate Lily was – did Padfoot really think that Remus hated him?

The food bowl was full from last night, and he contemplated what to do. He couldn't go to the usual shops, because work thought he was sick, so instead he clipped the lead to Padfoot, and walked in the other direction. He was going to get Padfoot something to eat that no-one could resist.

He walked them to Subway, where the smell of fresh bread hit them as they approached.

He tied Padfoot up, and headed inside.

Remus knew that Padfoot wouldn't be able to turn down a Subway, so he bought them both meatball subs with extra cheese, and paid for extra meatballs on Padfoot's. He kept an eye on Padfoot through the window, and watched him wag his tail excitedly at the sight of a couple that walked past, though Remus couldn't see the couple very well. Remus felt panic for a moment, as he wondered if they knew Padfoot, or if they were his owners, but the woman just petted him, gently.

Padfoot was licking her hand, and Remus kept a watch, only able to see the back of the woman. He was relieved that these people didn't seem to know his dog. It occurred to him at that moment, that if these people had actually been Padfoot's owners, he wouldn't have given the dog up.

Padfoot was his.

His real owners had their chance to get the dog back, and their time was up. Padfoot was not going to be taken away. He didn't know what he would do without the dog.

He left Subway with their lunch, and watched Padfoot barking excitedly after the woman, with his tail wagging, as though he knew her.

It just went to show that Padfoot was fine around everyone else. It was just Benjy. Lily was right, maybe Benjy had just given off bad vibes, because Padfoot was fine with the couple that had just come over, in fact, that was the liveliest he had seen the dog since the day Benjy arrived at the house.

He took Padfoot's lead, and softly stroked the dog's ears, before walking him home again. The dog just ignored him.

He brought Padfoot inside, and quickly levitated the cushion before Padfoot could sulk on it.

"On the sofa, Padfoot," he said, and the dog stared at him for a minute. Remus was firm, he kept his gaze on the dog, until the dog let out a huff sound and climbed onto his spot on the sofa. Remus sat in his own spot.

"Padfoot, I'm really sorry," Remus said softly, hoping that Padfoot understood his tone and his words, and realised that he truly was. "I've not been a good friend to you, have I?"

Padfoot looked at him, and Remus took that as a sign the dog was listening.

"I'm really sorry. I won't bring Benjy back again. I promise, and I won't ignore you like this again. I like it when you get excited when I come back home, and I like it when you sit with me on the sofa, it's comforting. I don't like it when you don't eat, and don't look at me, but that's my own fault... just next time you don't like someone, can you let me know, without trying to attack them? I'll listen next time."

Padfoot gently licked his hand, and Remus smiled, giving his dog a cuddle.

"Now, I've bought you something special for lunch. You've not had it before, but can you eat it... for me?"

Padfoot let out a small bark, his tail gave a very reluctant wag, it was small, but at least it was a start.

He brought the bag to the kitchen and cut Padfoot's Subway up, to save the dog making a mess, and cleaned his bowl. He put the meatball sub into the bowl, and put fresh tea into the drink bowl.

He watched the dog scoff down his Subway, as though he hadn't eaten in ages, and Remus felt the guilt again as he remembered that it was his fault that Padfoot hadn't.

Remus ate his own sub, and felt relieved that things were getting back to normal.


	7. Chapter 7

James glanced at the map he had been working from.

"Well, I've covered all the shops, knocked on doors, and I've shown his picture to everyone I've met. I've checked all the abandoned buildings to see if his magical signature can be traced anywhere nearby. The spell on his ring, which allows me to follow his signature, stops at the main road, here." He pointed to the spot on the map.

Dorea took the map out of his hands, and enlarged it, sticking it to the wall. She took a few pins, and stuck one by the main road.

"This is where the Apparition point was," James said, pointing to the relevant spot, and Dorea stuck another pin on the map.

"This is where I lost him," James continued, and watched her push in a pin.

Dorea stepped back for a minute, looking between the red pins.

"Where are the next Apparition points?" She asked, and picked up a handful of the green pins.

"No - don't use the green ones," James ordered, taking them carefully from her hand, and giving her the yellow ones instead.

Dorea let out a laugh. "Always the Gryffindor," she said, turning back to the map.

"Hang on," Charlus muttered, tapping her hand with his wand. She opened it, and looked at the now gold coloured pins, and shook her head, a smile on her face.

She started putting the pins in the spots that James pointed out, and she stared at the map in thought. She pulled out her wand, and started tracing an area.

"He's got to be somewhere in this area. It might take a while to cover, but I doubt he's outside it. We tackle this area first, then we work a half mile around the outside of this area, and just keep expanding the search area, but I'm confident that he's somewhere inside here."

The outline she drew shone gold against the map.

"Why that area?" James asked.

"Because your mission was to trail Lucius Malfoy. If he wanted to be in any of these other areas, he would have used a different Apparition point. He used the same one three times now, so he's going somewhere local. The rest of the map has Apparition points that are more convenient to them."

James smiled. "Brilliant, Mum. Where should I start?"

"Well, we need to think carefully about this. We need hospitals, wooded areas, parks, abandoned buildings... anywhere where Sirius could be. Anywhere he could set up a safe area. He might have warded himself in a park, so I suggest when we go to these places, two of us go, in case there is a repelling charm of any kind," Charlus said.

"Let's start with marking the hospitals," Dorea suggested, and Charlus nodded.

James pulled out some more pins, picking the blue ones out, and handing them to his mother, then sat at his laptop. He quickly got up a list of hospitals, and Dorea started marking them out, also marking ones outside the area, just in case they were closest to where he could have possibly been found, if he was taken to hospital.

"Where else?"

Slowly they marked all the parks, wooded areas, and abandoned buildings on the map, and looked at it again in thought. The sight of the pins of places to look gave James a new wave of hope.

"Shops? We could ask around again," James suggested, and Charlus frowned. "If you've done that, then there isn't much point doing it again, it's not like he's walking around going into shops?" He stated.

"It wouldn't hurt," Dorea argued. "Staff change by the day. Maybe you need to go on the same day of the week as when Sirius went missing? You would have a better chance, as the staff might be the same as the ones that were working on the day we lost him, and those members of staff might have seen something."

"Anywhere else?" Charlus asked.

"Door to door, I haven't done all of this area," he replied.

Charlus nodded, and tapped the map with his wand, casting a duplicating spell. Three identical maps appeared, which he passed to James and Dorea.

"Update this after each road, what you do to your mini map will automatically update the big map. The colourful dots are where the pins were placed."

"Dorea, you start by covering the hospitals for now. Sirius might not have given his real name, so give his description and show a picture, and if you can, sneak around any wards that seem appropriate and look for him, or some wards have a list of names inside the door or at the nurses station, so take a look for anything that Sirius would use. Anything that sounds like a wizard came up with it."

Dorea nodded. Charlus looked at the map again, and used his wand to mark it into sections.

"James, today, we'll cover these sections," he said, gesturing to some outlines he had added to the map. "Check every alley, knock on every door. I know there's a lot of sections, but if we combine searching and knocking, we can rule each section out one by one. Search more carefully, because once we cross off one section, I doubt we'll be returning to it."

James agreed. He grabbed some flyers with various pictures of Sirius and gave them to his parents. Charlus rolled his stack up, placing it in his inside pocket, and Dorea carefully placed hers into her handbag.

James smiled at his parents, as they headed outside.

"Thanks," he said.

"Well, Sirius isn't just family to you, James. He's ours too," Charlus said, before turning to Dorea.

"Love, my area is near the hospital. Let's Apparate together, I'll walk you there, and work my way from there."

They Apparated away, and James followed.

**...oOo...**

"Padfoot? Where are you?" Remus called, looking under his bed.

"You've wasted enough time, Remus. You have fifteen minutes. He's probably just hiding somewhere, sulking, like he has been all day."

Remus frowned. "You're right, I just wanted to explain where I'm going. He doesn't like that I'm leaving him for the night."

"I doubt he really understands what you mean when you tell him that you're turning into a large wolf," Lily scoffed.

Remus glared at her. "He understands everything. I don't want him to feel lonely," he explained. "I just wanted to see him before I changed. I don't like it when he sulks, he's acting like he was before, but this time he's sulking because I'm transforming tonight. I don't really know if he's mad at me for leaving him overnight, or worried about the transformation."

Lily sighed. "Let's get you downstairs," she said, leading the way down.

Remus went into the room, closing the door after himself, and it wasn't long before he felt his body start to shake. He carefully pulled off his clothes, and pushed them through the hatch of the door, along with his wand, and Lily took them and slid the hatch shut. He barely heard her say the silencing spell that would stop the neighbours hearing the noise. He sat down on the bed, and felt something nudge his hand. He looked down in horror.

There was Padfoot, locked in the room with him, seconds before the change.

He jumped up, and banged on the door hard. "Lily? Please Lily, come back," he shouted, but knew it was no use. The silencing spell had been cast.

"I'm sorry, Padfoot," he whispered.

The change overtook him and he remembered nothing more than Padfoot backing up into a corner, whimpering.

**...oOo...**

Remus woke up the next morning, feeling drained. He moved around, and realised that he felt less pain than ever before. He slowly sat up, trying to wake his body up to work out the full extent of his injuries.

After a minute, his memories came rushing back, and he remembered that the last thing he saw before he changed was Padfoot. He quickly looked around, feeling panic build up inside him, as he searched for the dog's body, and jumped to his feet in panic, ignoring the pain in his leg, and his gaze fell on the bed.

There, sprawled across the bed, was Padfoot.

He looked at the dog for a minute, trying to determine if he was breathing, and make sure the dog's chest was moving. He breathed deeply, and could smell blood, not a lot though, just a little bit. He closed his eyes and listened for a heartbeat, which he could hear. He let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"Padfoot?" He whispered, and the dog opened his eyes, and his tail started wagging. Remus sat on the floor next to the bed, and started stroking the dog between the ears.

"I was scared that I hurt you," Remus whispered, and Padfoot sat up and licked Remus' face, and he barked softly. He was glad that his master was himself again.

The night before, Padfoot had been initially scared and shocked as he watched his master transform. The sounds that his master made, the cracks of his bones, and the way his friend had looked at him in fear, before the change finally happened. Padfoot stayed in his corner, and lowered himself to the floor. He knew he had to submit to this Wolf, he had to get the Wolf to accept his presence, no matter how long it took.

He waited a long time, with his gaze down on the floor, not meeting the Wolf's eyes. The animal was too powerful to fight, and he didn't want to fight him, because this Wolf was his friend, his master. This Wolf was Remus. He wanted to help him more than anything.

Eventually the Wolf spoke to him.

"Pack?" The Wolf growled in confusion, and Padfoot had sighed in relief.

"Pack," he agreed, keeping his gaze down. The Wolf moved closer, and Padfoot tilted his head, allowing the Wolf's mouth to carefully close over his neck. The Wolf held him there for a couple of minutes, and Padfoot didn't move a muscle.

When the Wolf moved away, Padfoot moved back into his previous position, awaiting the Wolf's permission to move, which he got when the Wolf head-butted him in the side, trying to get him to stand up. When he did, the Wolf started nudging him, and Padfoot was surprised when the Wolf started to play.

Padfoot realised quite quickly that he enjoyed playtime with his new friend. Remus would never spend another night without him, because Padfoot would be there to protect him from his Wolf, and keep his Wolf company every full moon from now on.

It was fifteen minutes after Remus had transformed back, before Lily threw the door open.

"Remus, is he in here?" She panicked, looking around, her gaze falling on the dog on the bed. Padfoot's tail was wagging, and he looked in good health. Lily sighed in relief. "Oh thank Merlin," she whispered, dropping the stack of clothes on the bed next to Remus, and throwing her arms around the dog's neck.

"I knew he'd grow on you," Remus smirked.

"Shut up, Remus. Just because I treat him like a dog, doesn't mean I'm not fond of him. I care about him too, you know."

Remus nodded, as he pulled on his clothes.

"I looked everywhere when I silenced the door, and then I realised that the only place left was in here. I don't know why this surprises me, Padfoot is sneaky and doesn't leave you alone. I should have guessed that he would do this. I was so worried. I didn't know if Moony would be so accepting of another animal, and I knew if you woke up and found you had hurt him in any way, you would have been devastated, but there was no way I could even check, because I realised if I even pulled back the hatch to look, it could anger Moony so much that he might attack Padfoot, if he hadn't done before."

Remus smiled. "You and me both. I saw him after you said the silencing spells, and when I woke up this morning, I panicked, but he's fine. Plus look at me, I think that's been my easiest transformation to date."

"So, having a dog in with you, actually made your transformation easier?" Lily asked, finally letting go of Padfoot, who licked her face.

"Remember last month? Having him outside the door made a big difference, and having him in here, well, I barely hurt myself," Remus said, happily. "It made so much difference. It's amazing, actually."

He stood up and scratched Padfoot behind the ears.

"Good boy," he said, letting Padfoot lead the way from the room, and slowly following behind.

Padfoot was pleased with himself, he could see he made his master very happy, and he was rewarded with a juicy steak with gravy poured over it. He finally understood exactly what was happening to his master, and although he was scared at first, he realised that his master would never hurt him. He pushed his nose into Remus' hand when they were on the sofa, silently promising the man that he'd spend every full night with him, without fail.

A few hours later, Remus' body was still stiff, but he felt a lot better. He took a long bath to relax his muscles, and afterwards, he took Padfoot to the park with Lily for a couple of hours. He wasn't able to run around, or go too fast, but he found time to rest, as Lily took Padfoot for a jog around the park. Remus waited on one of the benches, waiting for the pair to come back around, and when they did, Padfoot rushed over to make sure Remus was still okay.

He realised again, how lucky he was to have found the dog.

They headed home again, Padfoot curled up at the end of Remus bed, and everything how it should be.

**...oOo...**

A couple of weeks passed, and James wasn't having much luck. There was still no sign of Sirius.

James spent his time knocking on doors, with no luck. He searched alleys, and he and Charlus took to the parks, and other large areas. James finally worked his way to the section that had the high street again, and decided to try the shops again. Something kept telling him that the answer lay on that high street, where Sirius was last traced to. Someone had to have an answer there.

He looked in each shop, and asked all the members of staff if they had seen his friend. He requested to leave a flyer in the staff room of each place, and they all took one, and he finally reached the end of the road. He walked back on himself, looking at everyone with black hair, hoping that this would be the time he spotted Sirius, and praying that Sirius wasn't dead. Each day that passed, he lost a little bit of hope in finding Sirius alive.

Dorea hadn't had any luck either. She had spent her time sneaking in and out of wards, hanging around areas when she saw names such as: "James White and S. Potter," and anything else that could potentially be linked. If it had any relation in the slightest to a member of the Order, she was there, or if the name had any relation to anything to do with stars or colours, it was the same, and she was checking for Sirius.

Finally she had searched through all the wards, and she had spoken to every nurse, even going as far as slipping Veritaserum into some drinks, to get the truth if someone had been brought in on the date Sirius went missing who fit his description, but her efforts were in vain.

James started to pass a coffee shop, but felt exhausted. He wasn't ready to give up for that day, and didn't want to return home for a potion. He wanted something to take his mind off his search for a few minutes, so he could go back out with a slightly clearer head. He went into the coffee shop and joined the queue, too tired to even glance at the person who came into the shop a minute later and who stood behind him, only one person separating them.

He got his drink and took a seat. He tried to make himself more alert, and discreetly cast a slight cooling charm on his drink, so he could drink it straight away.

"James?" Came a voice, after a minute, and he looked up, startled.

"Lily?"


End file.
